同章对照

No matter how many times he would visit it, Ryan would never get used to Rust Town. The whole place reeked of misery and despair.

Atom Cat seemed to share his sentiment, as both drove through the slums with the Plymouth's windows closed and the air cleaner on. “It’s even worse than I thought,” he said, looking at a streetlight hanging by its cable, threatening to fall on the road at any moment. “Way worse.”

“You never went mice hunting here?”

“No, my family lives in the wealthy Patrician district. I lived a very sheltered life truth be told, even during the wars.”

“So a house cat then.” If so, Ryan’s threat of neutering him must have hit a bit too close to home.

“I guess I went stray,” his sidekick mused.

“I do wonder why this place is such a dump compared to the rest of the city though,” Ryan said. It reminded him of the bad old days when he scoured ruins for supplies, with Bloodstream breathing down his neck.

“It belonged to the region’s original inhabitants,” Atom Cat explained, “those who lived in the Gulf of Naples and escaped its bombing. They managed to survive, in spite of the poisons and plagues, but when Dynamis took over the region, the company forcefully relocated them to make room for its own people. I guess the homeless and the diseased didn’t fit into their picture of a shining capital city. There are plans to renovate the area, but they haven't materialized yet.”

He shook his head in disappointment, the sound of a cell phone’s alarm interrupting the discussion. Atom Cat looked at his mobile, but didn’t take the call.

Ryan glanced at the screen, seeing Atom Cat had missed fifteen calls from a certain ‘Fortuna’ and seven from one ‘Narcinia.’ “My sisters,” the superhero said before the courier could ask questions. “I keep in touch with them, but they want me back and don’t take no for an answer.”

“That means they love you,” Ryan replied without any hint of sarcasm. He could sympathize with people wishing to reunite with their family. The courier did wonder what made Atom Cat consider Dynamis to be a better option over the Augusti though.

Ryan suddenly wondered if Len, like Atom Cat, wouldn’t want to meet him, but immediately brushed off these thoughts. Of course she would rejoice when they met again, after so many years! It was just his anxiety talking!

“I love them too, but as long as they keep supporting the Bliss business I—”

Another person called Atom Cat, who stared at the name on the screen for several seconds, his gaze undecipherable.

‘Livia.’

Instead of ignoring the call like the others, Atom Cat outright turned down his phone, sighed, and messed with the radio to change his mind. When he finally settled on a channel, Ryan glared at his sidekick. “Hip hop, really?”

“You don’t like it, brotha?”

“No, I don’t!” Ryan changed the channel back to the Daft Biopunk chronoradio. The music switched into a combination of electronic, synth, and alien rhythms.

“Nice sound,” Atom Cat commented, as they passed through narrow streets. “Where are we going?”

“The Meta took over the junkyard area as their base,” Ryan said. “It’s located at Rust Town’s center.”

“I’m stopping you right here, I’m all for ambushing a lone Psycho, maybe two, but attacking their home turf with only the two of us is suicide.”

If Ryan had been alone, he would have tried anyway, but he wasn’t going to lead his sidekick to certain death. “Thing is, children have been missing in the area, according to my information. I've located an orphanage south of the junkyard, and I thought we should check it out.”

Atom Cat instantly tensed. “Children?”

“You’re surprised?” Ryan asked. The courier would love to say he was, but he had come to expect the worst when Psychos were involved.

“I’m surprised it didn’t get reported,” the superhero replied, the Plymouth passing near the city’s water reservoir. Unlike the rest of the neighborhood, Dynamis heavily protected the area, armored soldiers protecting its confines. “Then again, nobody cares about this place.”

Ryan did.

Eventually, the duo made their way to an isolated building surrounded by a dusty wasteland. The paint on the cinder block walls had vanished, peeled by time, and half the windows were broken. A large fenced area extended left of the building, housing dozens, if not hundreds of stray cats and dogs. The distressed noises they made and the smell they produced immediately overwhelmed the duo, as they parked the car nearby and stepped out of it.

“That's not an orphanage,” Atom Cat said with horror, while Ryan grabbed his Fisty gauntlets and put them on. The air here was less polluted than the rest of Rust Town, but not by much. “It’s an animal shelter.”

“It’s both,” Ryan realized, glancing at the animals with sympathy. The sheer aura of trapped desperation they gave off made him feel sick inside.

They found two children between ten and twelve at the orphanage’s entrance, playing with a dirty golden retriever near the open doors. One was a black boy with acid burn scars on half his cheek, the other a skinny brunette in a pink dress unfit for her size.

“Hey, fellas!” Ryan waved a hand at them.

The little girl instantly raised a crappy revolver at his head, having hidden it beneath her dress, while the boy clung to the dog. “Back off, druggie,” she told Ryan. “Or I’m blowing your head off.”

Aw, that was so cute!

Ryan froze time, grabbed the gun, and replaced it with a rock pebble. When time resumed, he had put the gun inside his coat, much to the girl’s surprise. “B—but?”

“Hey, I’m Quicksave,” Ryan said, raising his thumb like in a commercial. “I’m immortal, but don’t tell anyone; and this is my trusty sidekick, Hello Kitty.”

“Don’t push it, Quickie,” Atom Cat replied, the nickname making Ryan feel dirty inside. “We aren’t here to hurt anyone. Can we talk to the staff?”

“There’s no staff,” the boy said, still afraid. The dog nuzzled his face to reassure him, and didn’t make any hostile move towards the Genomes.

“Grandpa took care of us, but he’s gone now,” the little girl replied while glaring at Ryan. “A druggie shanked him in an alley months ago.”

She said it so casually, it sounded almost normal.

“Wait, there’s no adult?” The more he heard, the more Atom Cat grew agitated. “But, how do you survive?”

“We can take care of ourselves,” the girl said with a proud face. “We scavenge stuff up and take the trash.”

“Mama sends up food and money every week—” The little girl kicked the boy in the leg before he could finish his sentence. “Ouch, Sarah!”

“Mama?” Atom Cat asked. The little girl kept her mouth closed, the other boy imitating her. “Sarah, that’s your name?”

“Give me back my gun.” She ignored Atom Cat and instead kept glaring at Ryan. “Give it back!”

“I can’t in good conscience return such a crappy revolver,” Ryan replied, having a reputation to uphold. “Let me buy you a real gun, like a Desert Eagle. Then you can credibly threaten people.”

“Quicksave!” Atom Cat chided him, before trying to build a rapport with the kids. “Who is this mama, your caretaker? Can we talk to her?”

“No,” Sarah replied stubbornly. “She’s busy.”

“Busy doing what?”

“Busy,” Sarah replied, crossing her arms. “What do you want?”

As Atom Cat tried to argue with the kids that they only wanted to protect them, Ryan sensed tension in the air. The pets grew agitated, barking and meowing.

They could sense predators nearby.

A rusty, black minibus approached the orphanage, parking five meters away from the entrance. Other kids appeared at the windows, attracted by the pets' racket.

Three ‘men’ stepped out of the car, although they barely counted as such. Ryan instantly recognized one of them as the mosquito monster that wrecked his Plymouth in a previous loop. The second was a scrawny, bald man dressed like a plumber; disfiguring tumors grew out of his flesh and bloodshot eyes. He carried a rusty pipe wrench, and his smile showed rows of rotten fangs.

As for the third...

Ryan instantly recognized the tall and slender figure, in spite of his heavy black overcoat, hat, scarf, and sunglasses. The way he walked, like a shambling doll mimicking a man, the aura of quiet menace he gave off...

Psyshock, Adam’s second-in-command.

The three Psychos glanced at the group with menacing stares, Atom Cat instantly moving to shield the kids; so did the golden retriever, who barked at the newcomers with surprising ferocity. Psyshock himself focused entirely on Ryan.

“My, isn’t it little Cesare?” he said with a robotic, digital voice. “How you have grown.”

Ryan flinched.

“Surprised? Once I have connected to a nervous system, I can recognize its unique brainwave pattern anywhere. Like a lost signal, calling home to Daddy.” His heavy sunglasses glittered under the twilight. “I thought the Carnival killed your father?”

“He wasn’t my father, and yes they did,” the courier said, cold and focused. He had last crossed path with that creep four years ago, before he drank his Elixir. Even if Ryan now had superpowers and could defend himself, Psyshock's mere presence made him feel uneasy. “How are the scars he gave you, Lightbulb?”

“They healed,” Psyshock replied, his digital voice turned threatening. Mosquito readied his claw-like hands, itching for a fight. “If you survived, I assume little Len did too. Good. I never got over missing the opportunity to extract her Genius brain.”

“What, kids aren’t enough for you?” Ryan taunted him.

“I have no interest in this meat, but we require a unique service from these goblins. I’m afraid nothing short of pygmies will do the trick. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of them; even feed them.”

“Adam is very fond of children,” Mosquito cackled, the other Psycho letting out a bestial grunt.

“That too,” Psyshock mused with cruel amusement. “Kids, gather your friends, and get into the car quietly.”

“Behind me,” Ryan said. “He’s got candies.”

“Yeah, the kids aren’t getting anywhere near you,” Atom Cat said, turning to Sarah. “Do you have a basement?” She nodded slowly. “Go hide there, and don’t come out until we say so.”

The noise of a plane echoed above the neighborhood, while the children and their dog fled inside the orphanage.

“I would check your math if I were you,” Psyshock said while trailing the children with his gaze; it made him look like a deadly wolf observing helpless fawns, much to Ryan’s disgust. Wires shifted behind the Psycho’s scarf and sunglasses, and electricity came out of his gloves. “You’re outnumbered, and outmatched.”

Why weren’t they attacking? Because they were worried they might kill the kids in the crossfire if they acted too early? They shouldn’t be thinking that far ahead, the sight of Genomes being reason enough to try and drink the heroes' Elixir-laced blood. These Psychos were too stable, too careful, as if...

“You’re well-fed,” Ryan realized. “You have a supply of Elixir.”

Psyshock appraised him for a few seconds, before barking orders. “Mongrel, Mosquito, capture little Cesare and kill the spare.”

“I hoped you’d say that,” Mosquito said, Mongrel hissing at Atom Cat like an animal. “I guess Adam can’t be mad at us for eating a few strays.”

Both groups glared at one another, but Ryan couldn’t focus, the sound of the plane growing stronger and stronger…

Closer.

Ryan barely had the time to raise his eyes, as it landed right in the middle of the Mexican standoff.

The crash blew dust in all directions, Atom Cat taking a leap back on reflex and the Psychos retreating behind their minibus for protection. Only Ryan remained still, unfazed, as an enormous, gold-plated robot stood right in front of him.

“Quicksave,” Vulcan’s voice echoed from hidden loudspeakers, the suit’s camera eyes focusing on the courier. “You have denied my invitation.”

Ryan put his hands in his pockets and whistled, his mask protecting him from the dust. Atom Cat quickly got back on his feet, his eyes widening upon recognizing the newcomer. Vulcan’s camera eyes briefly glanced at the hero, but quickly focused back on Ryan with murderous rage.

“By going to that dragon whore without even considering my offer, you have done more than scorn me. You have insulted me, and for that, you will die.” She towered above Ryan, a cannon pointed at his head. “Any last words?”

Ryan gave serious thought to the question and then answered.

“You’re so short, your mother has to use a microscope to see you.”

Vulcan remained completely still, the towering armor casting the courier in its oppressive shadow.

“Oh, oh, I got a better one!” Ryan snapped his fingers. “You’re so short that your feet always dangle when you sit on a chair!”

The silence grew even tenser, broken by strange noises. Ryan recognized them as guns and missiles being loaded. Psyshock and his cronies recovered from the surprise attack, moving to encircle everyone and flank Atom Cat from the sides.

Tough crowd here. “How about this one? You’re almost tall enough for Wyvern to take you seriously!”

Vulcan let out a snarl and opened fire.

不管来多少次，瑞恩都不可能习惯锈镇。整个地方都散发着苦难与绝望的气息。

原子猫似乎也有同感。两人开着普利茅斯穿过贫民窟，车窗紧闭，空气净化器始终开着。“比我想的还糟。”他说，望着一盏只靠电线吊着、随时可能掉到路面上的街灯，“糟得多。”

“你从没来这儿抓过老鼠？”

“没有，我家住在富裕的贵族区。说实话，我一直被保护得很好，连战争期间也一样。”

“原来是只家猫。”这么说来，瑞恩先前威胁要给他绝育，恐怕真有点戳到痛处了。

“现在大概算流浪猫了吧。”他的小跟班若有所思地说。

“不过我还真想知道，跟城里其他地方一比，这儿怎么就成了垃圾堆。”瑞恩说。这让他想起了过去那些糟糕的日子：他在废墟里四处搜寻物资，血流就在背后紧盯着他。

“这是这一带原住民的地盘，”原子猫解释道，“他们原本住在那不勒斯湾，躲过了那场轰炸。毒物和瘟疫都没能要他们的命，可迪纳米斯接管这一带之后，公司就强迫他们搬迁，给自己人腾地方。我猜，无家可归的人和病人不符合他们心目中光鲜亮丽的首都形象。改造这一带的计划倒是有，可一直没落实。”

他失望地摇了摇头，一阵手机铃声打断了谈话。原子猫看了一眼手机，却没有接。

瑞恩瞥了一眼屏幕，发现原子猫已经漏接了十五通来自某位“福尔图娜”的电话，还有七通来自一位“纳尔西妮娅”。“我的姐妹们。”还没等快递员发问，这位超级英雄就先开口了，“我跟她们一直有联系，可她们想让我回去，根本不接受拒绝。”

“这说明她们爱你。”瑞恩回答，语气里没有半点讽刺。他能体会想与家人团聚的心情。不过，快递员确实很想知道，原子猫为什么觉得迪纳米斯会是比奥古斯蒂更好的选择。

瑞恩忽然想到，蕾恩会不会也像原子猫这样，不愿见到自己？但他立刻把这念头甩开了。分别了这么多年，再见到他，她当然会高兴！不过是他自己瞎担心罢了！

“我也爱她们，但只要她们还在支持极乐生意，我就——”

又有一个人给原子猫打来电话。他盯着屏幕上的名字看了好几秒，眼神让人捉摸不透。

“莉维娅。”

原子猫这次没有像对待之前的来电那样置之不理，而是直接关掉手机，叹了口气，摆弄起收音机，想转移一下注意力。等他终于选定频道，瑞恩瞪向自己的小跟班。“嘻哈？不是吧？”

“怎么，不喜欢啊，兄弟？”

“对，不喜欢！”瑞恩把时空收音机调回了播放傻生物朋克的频道。音乐变成了电子乐、合成器音色与异星节奏的混合体。

“这曲子不错。”原子猫评价道，车子正穿过狭窄的街道，“我们要去哪儿？”

“超能帮占了废料场一带当基地，”瑞恩说，“就在锈镇中心。”

“打住。我完全赞成伏击落单的疯魔，两个也许都行，可就凭我们俩去攻打他们的老巢，那是自杀。”

要是只有瑞恩一个人，他照样会去试试，但他不会带着自己的小跟班去送死。“问题是，根据我掌握的情报，这一带有孩子失踪。我查到废料场南边有家孤儿院，觉得我们该去看看。”

原子猫立刻绷紧了身体。“孩子？”

“你很意外？”瑞恩问。快递员也很想说自己感到意外，可只要事情牵涉到疯魔，他就已经习惯了往最坏处想。

“我意外的是，这事居然没人报告。”超级英雄答道。普利茅斯从城市蓄水池附近驶过。与这一带的其他地方不同，迪纳米斯在这里布置了严密的防卫，身穿护甲的士兵守着周边。“不过话说回来，反正也没人在乎这个地方。”

瑞恩在乎。

两人终于来到一栋孤零零的建筑前，四周是一片尘土飞扬的荒地。煤渣砖墙上的漆早已被岁月剥蚀殆尽，窗户有一半是破的。楼房左侧延伸出一大片围栏圈起的空地，里面收容着几十只、甚至上百只流浪猫狗。两人把车停在附近，刚一下车，就被它们凄惶的叫声和身上散发的气味淹没了。

“这哪是孤儿院。”原子猫惊恐地说。瑞恩则拿出拳拳护手戴上。这里的空气污染比锈镇其他地方轻一些，但也好不到哪去。“这是动物收容所。”

“两者都是。”瑞恩明白了，同情地看向那些动物。它们身上散发的那股困在牢笼里的绝望，让他心里一阵难受。

他们在孤儿院入口找到了两个十岁到十二岁之间的孩子，正挨着敞开的门，跟一只脏兮兮的金毛犬玩耍。其中一个是黑人男孩，半边脸颊留着酸液灼伤的疤痕；另一个是瘦巴巴的棕发女孩，穿着一条不合身的粉色裙子。

“嘿，小朋友们！”瑞恩冲他们挥了挥手。

小女孩立刻从裙子底下掏出一把破左轮，举枪瞄准他的脑袋，男孩则紧紧抱住了狗。“退后，瘾君子。”她对瑞恩说，“不然我打爆你的头。”

哎呀，真可爱！

瑞恩暂停时间，拿走手枪，换上了一颗小石子。时间恢复流动时，枪已经进了他的外套，女孩顿时傻了眼。“可、可是？”

“嗨，我叫快存。”瑞恩像拍广告一样竖起大拇指，“我是不死之身，不过别告诉别人。这位是我可靠的小跟班，凯蒂猫。”

“别得寸进尺，快枪手。”原子猫回道。这外号让瑞恩觉得自己遭了玷污。“我们不是来伤害人的。能让我们跟工作人员谈谈吗？”

“这里没有工作人员。”男孩说，依然很害怕。狗用鼻子蹭了蹭他的脸，安抚着他，也没有对这两个基因者做出任何敌对举动。

“以前是爷爷照顾我们，但他已经不在了。”小女孩瞪着瑞恩回答，“几个月前，一个瘾君子在巷子里把他捅死了。”

她说得那么随意，仿佛这事再正常不过。

“等等，这儿没有大人？”原子猫越听越激动，“可是，那你们怎么活下来的？”

“我们能照顾自己。”女孩一脸骄傲地说，“我们四处捡东西，捡垃圾。”

“妈妈每个星期都往上送吃的和钱——”男孩还没说完，小女孩就在他腿上踢了一脚。“哎哟，莎拉！”

“妈妈？”原子猫问。小女孩闭紧了嘴巴，男孩也跟着不吭声了。“莎拉，这是你的名字？”

“把我的枪还给我。”她不理原子猫，还是瞪着瑞恩。“还给我！”

“把这么烂的左轮还给你，我良心上过不去。”瑞恩回答，他可不能砸了自己的招牌。“让我给你买把像样的枪，比如沙漠之鹰。到时候你威胁起人来，才有说服力。”

“快存！”原子猫责备了他一句，又试着跟孩子们拉近关系，“这位妈妈是谁，是照顾你们的人吗？我们能跟她谈谈吗？”

“不能。”莎拉倔强地回答，“她很忙。”

“忙什么？”

“就是忙。”莎拉抱起胳膊回答，“你们到底想干什么？”

原子猫还在努力向孩子们解释，他们只是想保护他们，瑞恩却察觉到空气中多了一丝紧张。猫狗们躁动起来，汪汪喵喵地叫个不停。

它们感觉到了附近的捕食者。

一辆锈迹斑斑的黑色小巴驶近孤儿院，停在距入口五米的地方。其他孩子被猫狗的喧闹吸引，纷纷出现在窗前。

三个“男人”走下车，不过他们已经很难算是人了。瑞恩一眼就认出，其中一个正是在之前某一轮循环里毁了他那辆普利茅斯的蚊子怪物。第二个是个穿得像水管工的干瘦秃头男人；他的皮肉和充血的眼睛里都长出了瘤子，整个人面目全非。他拎着一把生锈的管钳，一笑就露出一排排烂掉的尖牙。

至于第三个……

尽管那人穿着厚重的黑色大衣，戴着帽子、围巾和墨镜，瑞恩还是立刻认出了那个瘦高的身影。那走路的姿态，仿佛一个蹒跚而行、模仿着人类的人偶；还有他身上散发出的无声威胁……

心震，亚当的二把手。

三个疯魔目光凶狠地扫向众人，原子猫立刻上前护住孩子们；金毛犬也一样，以惊人的凶悍冲着来者狂吠。心震的注意力则全在瑞恩身上。

“哟，这不是小切萨雷吗？”他用机械的电子音说道，“都长这么大了。”

瑞恩身子一僵。

“很惊讶？只要我连接过一个神经系统，无论到了哪里，都能认出它独一无二的脑波模式。就像一道迷失的信号，在呼唤家里的爸爸。”他那厚重的墨镜在暮色中闪着光。“我记得嘉年华杀了你父亲？”

“他不是我父亲。不过没错，是他们杀的。”快递员冷冷地说，全神戒备。他上一次碰见这个变态还是四年前，那时他还没喝下灵药。即使如今有了超能力，能够保护自己，心震的存在本身依然让他感到不安。“他给你留下的那些疤怎么样了，电灯泡？”

“已经好了。”心震回答，电子音里多了威胁的意味。蚊子张开利爪般的双手，跃跃欲试。“既然你活下来了，我想小蕾恩也活下来了。很好。错过挖出她那颗天才大脑的机会，这事我可一直没能释怀。”

“怎么，孩子还满足不了你？”瑞恩讥讽道。

“我对这些肉没兴趣，不过我们需要这帮小鬼提供一项特殊服务。恐怕非得是俾格米人那样的小个子才能办到。别担心，我们会好好照顾他们，甚至还会管饭。”

“亚当可是很喜欢孩子的。”蚊子咯咯怪笑，另一个疯魔也发出野兽般的低哼。

“这倒也是。”心震玩味地说，语气里透着残忍的快意。“孩子们，把你们的朋友都叫上，乖乖上车。”

“到我身后来。”瑞恩说，“他有糖。”

“没错，你们别想靠近孩子。”原子猫说着转向莎拉，“你们这里有地下室吗？”她缓缓点了点头。“去那里躲着，我们没叫你们，就别出来。”

孩子们带着狗逃进孤儿院，一阵飞机的轰鸣声在街区上空回荡。

“换作是我，就会重新数数。”心震说，目光追着那些孩子不放。那模样仿佛一头凶残的狼在打量无助的幼鹿，让瑞恩恶心透了。疯魔的围巾和墨镜后面有电线蠕动，手套上冒出了电光。“论人数、论实力，你们都不是对手。”

他们为什么还不动手？担心出手太早，会在交火中误杀孩子？他们本不该考虑得这么长远。光是看见基因者，就足以让他们扑上来，试图吸食这两个英雄体内掺着灵药的血。这些疯魔太稳定，也太谨慎了，简直就像……

“你们吃得很饱。”瑞恩恍然大悟，“你们有灵药供应。”

心震打量了他几秒，随即厉声下令。“杂种，蚊子，抓住小切萨雷，把多余的那个杀了。”

“就等你这句话了。”蚊子说。杂种像动物一样，朝原子猫发出嘶嘶声。“我想，亚当总不能因为我们吃了几个流浪的小东西，就跟我们生气吧。”

双方彼此怒视，瑞恩却无法集中精神。飞机的声音越来越响……

越来越近。

瑞恩刚来得及抬起眼睛，它便落在剑拔弩张的双方正中间。

撞击将尘土掀向四面八方。原子猫本能地向后一跃，疯魔们则退到小巴后面躲避。只有瑞恩纹丝不动，镇定如常，一台巨大的镀金机器人就立在他面前。

“快存。”伏尔甘的声音从隐藏的扩音器中传出，机甲那双摄像头眼睛对准了快递员。“你拒绝了我的邀请。”

瑞恩双手插兜，吹起口哨，面具替他挡住了尘土。原子猫很快站起身，认出来者后，眼睛瞪得老大。伏尔甘的摄像头眼睛短暂地扫了这位英雄一眼，却很快又带着杀人的怒火转回瑞恩身上。

“你连我的条件都不考虑，就跑去投奔那个母龙婊子。这已经不只是轻慢我了。你侮辱了我，为此，你必须死。”她高高地俯视着瑞恩，一门炮对准了他的脑袋。“有什么遗言？”

瑞恩认真考虑了这个问题，然后给出答案。

“你矮得连你妈都得用显微镜才能看见你。”

伏尔甘一动不动，高耸的装甲将快递员笼罩在压迫感十足的阴影中。

“哦，哦，我想到个更好的！”瑞恩打了个响指。“你矮得坐哪把椅子，两只脚都够不着地！”

沉默越发紧绷，随即被一阵古怪的声响打破。瑞恩听得出来，那是枪炮与导弹装填的声音。心震和他的喽啰们已经从这场突袭中回过神来，开始移动，试图把所有人都围起来，从两侧包抄原子猫。

这帮观众可真难逗。“这个怎么样？你就差那么一点身高，就能让双足飞龙把你当回事了！”

伏尔甘怒吼一声，开了火。